Amateur leads N.Z. Open

Press, 5 December 1986, Page 40

Amateur leads N.Z. Open

PA Auckland A New Zealand amateur, Michael Barltrop, came home ahead of the professionals with a one-stroke lead in the first round of the Nissan Mobil New Zealand Golf Open at the Grange yesterday. When a cloudburst finally suspended play shortly after 6 p.m., Barltrop, who shot a five-umier-par 65, led the 20-year-old Spaniard, Jose-Maria Olazabal, and an Australian, lan BakerFinch, by one shot. Three Australians, Vaughan Somers, Jeff Senior and Rodger Davis, were one stroke further behind and one ahead of Bob Shearer, of Australia, and an Englishman, Tony Price. When play was abandoned for the day, Peter Senior, of Australia, still had the eighteenth hole to finish. He was four under the card and a birdie when play resumes today would see him share the first round lead with Barltrop. The players still out on the course last evening will finish their rounds this morning before the second round gets under way. Barltrop, who shot eight birdies in his round, could hardly believe his good after coming off the course and seeing his name at the top

of the leaderboard. “I very rarely lead in an amateur event let alone among the professionals,” he said. “Today the greens were really good but I would go back a long way to remember shooting eight birdies. I usually don’t make that many in four rounds.” Baker-Finch, who won the Open at Middlemore in 1983, had his most satisfying round for some time. “They were difficult circumstances but I only missed two fairways by a small amount and I hit all 18 greens. I may have scored better if it hadn’t rained as I left myself a little short after a couple of greens were wet,” he said.

Baker-Finch’s round included four birdies and 12 pars so he had reason to be satisfied.

Corey Pavin, the winner of the last two Opens, was not the happiest man at the Grange after shooting a two over 72.

Pavin made birdie on the first but that was the last until he made another on the seventeenth. In the meantime, he dropped shots on the eighth, ninth, twelfth and thirteenth. “I drove poorly, got into some tough places and didn’t putt very well,” he said.■

“Some days you go out and don’t see

a green so well. There was nothing wrong with these greens. It was just my perspective. “On Wednesday I said 15 under the card would do it. The weather was perfect (he finished before the lightning, thunder and rain) so I will have to do some rethinking. “I have worked myself into a tight spot so tomorrow I have to go out and put up a good score.”

Completed first-round scores.— 65 — Michael Barltrop (A, Auckland). 66 — Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spain), lan Baker-Finch (Aust.).

67 — Vaughan Somers (Aust.), Jeff Senior (Aust.), Rodger Davis (Aust.). 68 — Bob Shearer (Aust.), Tony Price (U.K.). 69 — Richard Coombes (N.Z.).

70 — A. Wilson (Aust.), M. Haslett (Aust.), A. Painter (Aust.), O. Kendall (A. Bay of Plenty). 71 — I. Peters (N.Z.), M. Zilko (Aust.), G. Goldfinch (A. Auckland), T. Gale (Aust.), B. Vivian (N.Z.), B. Officer (Aust), G. Turner (N.Z.), P. O’Malley (A, Aust.), T. Sutter (U.S.), N. Mullin (Aust.), J. Woodland (Aust.), L. Phelps (A, Wgtn), I. Roberts (Aust.), P. Hamblett (N.Z.), A. Maloney (Aust.), G. Percy (N.Z.), R. Barker (N.Z.), M. Bembridge (U.K.), D. Lecuyer (Can.). 72 — S. Owen (N.Z.), R. J. F. Stephens (AustajJ, C. Pavin (U.S.), S. Anderson-Chap-man (Can.), P. Powell (Aust.), K. Han

(Burma), P. Aickin (A, Auck.), C. Parry (Aust.), M. Colandro (U.S.), W. Riley (Aust.). 73 — F. Nobilo (N.Z.), B. Lincoln (A, Aust.), P. Somers (Aust.), J. Angus (A, Chch), L. Stephen (Aust.), T. Butscher (U.S.), W. Case (U.S.), D. Jackson, (A, Waikato), E. J. McDougall (A, Auck), S. Jackson (Aust.), D. Talbot (Can.), P. Fowler (Aust.), A. Gilligan (Aust.). 74 — W. Davies (N.Z.), L. Tinkler (Aust.), M. Girouard (Can.), S. Ginn (Aust.), D. J. Clark (N.Z.), J. Deep (Aust.), R. McNaughton (Aust.), L. Peterson (A, Aust.), P. Hendrick (Can.).

75 — P. Carrigan (A, Aust.), S. Reese (N.Z.), P. Dahlberg (Sweden), D. Ecob (A, Aust.), S. Todd (A, Auck.), R. Ellis (N.Z.), T. Elliot (Aust.), T. Hulls (Aust.), C. Owen (N.Z.), C. Hearn (N.Z.), T. Kendall (N.Z.), L. Henderson (Sweden), G. Parkinson (N.Z.), G. Taylor (Aust.). 76 — M. Moynihan (N.Z.), J. Reid (N.Z.), B. Degirolama (Can.), G. Hattaway (A, Auckland), T. Perfrement (Aust.), B. Fitzergerald (Aust.), G. Bugden (Aust.), A. Gossage (N.Z.). 77 — J. Lister (N.Z.), L. Montague (Aust.), B. Jamieson (N.Z.), G. Alexander (Aust.), P. Berthelsen (A, Nelson).

78 — K. Singh (Fiji), G. Watson (N.Z.), D. Hartstone (N.Z.), I. Smalley (N.Z.), T. McQuilling (U.S.), J. Haime (Can.), A. Sanerivi (A, W. Samoa), J. Griffin (N.Z.), E. Kaufmanis (Can.).

79 — R. Moor (N.Z.), R. Kitto (N.Z.), M. McKenzie (Aust.), M. Loughland (Aust.), K. Southenden (N.Z.). 80 4 G. Grut (N.Z.), T. Cochrane (A, Auck.).